Public Education Initiatives of World Psychiatric Association

In most countries where trained mental health professionals are woefully inadequate, public perceptions and attitudes towards the mentally ill and mental illness are shrouded in strange myths and colored by stigmas. Public education and awareness assume tremendous importance in these circumstances to bring about psycho-socio-cultural changes in society.

Mental Disorder

The term “mental disorder” refers to a condition in which there is a substantial change in someone’s behavior, emotions, thinking, or general psychological state, which becomes very different from the usual. This condition can affect an individual’s ability to function in one or more areas of their daily lives.

Anxiety

Anxiety is a human emotion or feeling. It is common to be anxious, or nervous under certain circumstances like when faced with a problem at work, before taking a test, or making an important decision. A little anxiety is beneficial to an individual as it may warn a person about an impending danger.

Depression

Sometimes it is quite normal for everyone to feel dull and sad at times, but these feelings are short lived and may soon disappear. However depression is different as it interferes with your daily life and causes pain for both you and those who care about you.

Living with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

According to the American Psychiatry Association, OCD is a form of anxiety disorder. People experience recurring, unwanted thoughts, ideas or sensations (obsessions) which make them feel the need to do something repetitively (compulsions).

Living with schizophrenia

Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a severe disorder which effects between 1% and 2% of the population. While it is much less common than depression, it can cause very severe disruptions in an individual’s life and ability to function.

Living with bipolar disorder

Bipolar disorder is a mood disorder which can be described as manic, hypomanic or depressive. A person living with bipolar disorder will have severe mood swings which can last several weeks, months or a long period of time. The Royal College of Psychiatrists states that feelings include severe depression, feelings of extreme happiness or a combination of depression with restlessness.

Mood Disorders

Mood disorders are a group of illnesses in which the primary aspect is a disturbance in the way a person feels, i.e. the person’s mood. The most common mood disorder is depression which is often characterized by strong feelings of sadness and a loss of interest in usual activities lasting for at least several weeks.

Dementia

Suicide Prevention

According to the World Health Organisation, over 800,000 people die by suicide each year and there are many more people who attempt at taking their own life. Suicide occurs among all ages and was the second leading cause of death worldwide among 15-29 years olds in 2012.

Suicide

Suicide or suicidal tendencies involve thinking about taking one’s own life, making an attempt to take one’s own life, or completing suicide. In many countries around the world there has been a substantial increase in suicide rates over the last several decades. In a number of countries, suicide is one of the top causes of death in nearly every age category.

Common Childhood Disorders

Childhood Disorders

Children are susceptible to a variety of emotional problems, in part due to their immaturity and their abilities to deal with stress. These problems may be apparent in a range of behavioral or emotional symptoms, disruptions in family home life, or in the school setting. There are also disorders which seem to be related to a biological vulnerability, and two of the most common of these are Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism.

Eating Problems

Eating disorders are when people experience severe disturbances in their eating behaviours, habits and related thoughts and emotions (APA). This normally causes an obsession with food and their body weight.

Interdisciplinary Collaboration

WPA Position Statement on Spirituality

The World Psychiatric Association (WPA) and World Health Organization (WHO) have worked hard to assure that comprehensive mental health promotion and care are scientifically based and, at the same time, compassionate and culturally sensitive.

Values Based Practice

With increasing globalization, values, always important in healthcare, are becoming ever more challenging. In this short article we outline a new resource for working with values in healthcare called values-based practice